Okay, so I failed today because the kids discovered the marzipan cake I bought and forgot about. lol I buy them so rarely I didn't like the idea of not getting any. So, not perfectly clean (I did have some chocolate, too), but better than the last few weeks. I walked a couple miles and I am working on my 3rd water bottle. Dinner tonight will be chicken, rice (not for me), carrots, and green beans. If I need something else it'll be a slice of some really good raw cheddar.

I had ice cream yesterday but it was within my calories so I didn't worry about it much. Today is bad though. I went to a conference and felt I was being good. I filled half my plate with salad right off and went easy on the dressing. Then had two tiny squares of the pasta bake, 1/4 of a breadstick and a piece of banana pie. Ya, it was over my cals for the day. So tonight I'm just going to do and instant breakfast for dinner and call it a night. I did alfo have a handful of peanuts when grocery shopping to curb my hunger. But now I'm good. Sipping on some lemonade and it's helping. I'm trying to cut down on how much artificial sweetner I use too (I like crystal light and such.) But I haven't cut it all out yet.

And I to have the big pouch of loose skin. Drives me nuts. I was actually looking at it in the mirror trying to figure out what to do about it last night. At my heaviest I was about 210 that was a year and a half ago. SO I cut out pop and fast food and lost down to 195ish. Then I really started trying and lost down to around 185 and that's where I joined this thread. So technically when I started to now I've lost over 50lbs, even though since I"ve been truely tracking it's only been 30. So I do have a lot of lose skin. And even though I only have one kid he was one big kid, and I was HUGE (he was 11lbs 7 oz and had a bigger placenta than twins). I have lost most of the weight, down to my last 15ish lbs but the skin is still there.

Also I have a question for you all. Technically I've lost a lot more than what I claim in my siggy. I didn't join MFP until I'd already lost 25 lbs. So I've been keeping track with that number. Which number should I go by? And is there a way to go back and tell MFP that I did weigh more before I started so it actually reflects it? It's not really that important and I may not bother, just curious.

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hand spinning, soap making, sheep raising wife to my hardworking and FT WOHM to my 'lil & 6 angels in heaven & our rainbow baby that joined us safely this summer!
ISO: Formula Checks- if you have some you won't use we would love to have them!
NB Diapers for sale: http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/....php?t=1594851

Liz- What part of California are you in? I was living in Temecula prior to moving out here to Arizona (last summer). I'm originally from San Diego county, though. Once a month we go back to visit so my older 3 kidlets can see their bio-dad. We drive through Blythe, Palm Springs, Beaumont, Hemet, etc... and into Temecula.

Laurel- I say go by how much weight you've lost since you started. That is what I did (as I also didn't start MFP until about a month in). There is a way to add weights from the past. You go to "Weigh In" on the homepage and on the bottom there is an area you can click that says "Edit Previous Entries." That will take you to a new page and at the very bottom it says "Add a New Entry" and you can input any date and weight. Hope that helps!

I did really good today about eating GF/DF!!! I've been having cravings but I'm trying to keep them at bay. I had a banana and hot tea with honey for breakfast. A handful of almonds as a snack. I had a huge salad with spring mix, chicken breast, avocado, shredded carrots, and a homemade olive oil/lemon vinaigrette. In the afternoon I had a green apple and almond butter. Dinner was tilapia, roast potatoes, and a side salad. My only downfalls this evening were a (non-diet) coke and homemade almond bark (dark chocolate melted with some chopped almonds). Overall not too bad considering for the past 2 weeks I have eaten so horribly.

Oh, and the past 3 days I haven't been "exercising" but I've spent a lot of time outdoors digging up weeds, cleaning up the yard, planting the garden, etc... and I have been sooooo sore! I'm hoping that means the productivity will pay off weight-loss wise. As soon as I am not so sore I am going to start doing yoga regularly.

I just changed my fitness pal's start weight for me, it wasn't hard at all. For some reason it started logging from 195.

Mamas, please don't skip dinners. Even if you only eat a salad please eat! You can always work it off tomorrow.

I'm in the high desert, near Joshua Tree Nat'l park. Heather, if you garden you can log that into MFP too! I have! I do every time I spend an hour or more out there either cleaning the chicken coop or in the garden. Starting to get mine ready for planting time!

Ok, that makes sense. I went home and had a protein shake for dinner and I surprisingly wasn't hugry after that so it's all good. I weighed in again this morning. I keep waiting for it to go up, and I"m still 152.2 so I went ahead and logged 153, I think it's for real, I really did lose 2lbs! Although, MFP only counts it as one because half way through last month I was at 154 and then went back up again and I never logged the gain. I'm super excited. I would be SOOOO happy if I could be in teh 140's by my surgery but considering how slow it's been going I know I should just be happy that I lost something.

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hand spinning, soap making, sheep raising wife to my hardworking and FT WOHM to my 'lil & 6 angels in heaven & our rainbow baby that joined us safely this summer!
ISO: Formula Checks- if you have some you won't use we would love to have them!
NB Diapers for sale: http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/....php?t=1594851

I have been baking today. We now have maple oatmeal muffins, applesauce muffins, banana bread muffins, blueberry muffins, and the pumpkin apple muffins are still baking. Half of each batch (that were left after the kids each ate a few) is going into the freezer for later. And I am not doing this many muffins again until Iget a silicone muffin pan. Maker's Diet really isn't happening right now, as I ran out of two things I like to eat that I am allowed. So, I'm just going with no soda, reduced or no grain (I had to test a couple muffins because they were a new recipe), and reduced sugar. DH deploys within the next 30 days, and when he is gone I will really be strict and get my diet back where it should be.

It got cold here for us San Diegans so when I ran I was wheezy afterward and my ears hurt (even with my earbuds in for music) so that was my excuse. I know I know, lame. But I kept eating healthy and it wasn't a problem. Well the past week I've been having this major up and down, 3 good days, 2 bad days, etc. idk what my deal is but I'm steady between 179-183. I will take progress pics again as I do every 6-8 weeks so that keeps me motivated or ill be mad at myself lol. But I'm trying to be realistic. I knew the second half of my weightloss wouldn't be as easy or quick to come off as the first.

Ugh you know how when you're a week or so from getting af and everything tastes sooooo good? I over ate my calories by a good 200 yesterday, so I wound up doing more time on the stationary bike to compensate. I was shocked when I actually went down another lb this am.. woohoo I'm outta the 180's!! I'm now 179!